Celebrating Achievements
St. Joseph's College
EMTC - Frozen Jnr
Congratulations to all the St Joseph's College students who performed in the EMTC production of Frozen Jnr last weekend. It was a spectacular show! We know that countless hours of hard word and dedication go into putting together a show as big as this and we are very proud of all of you
- Parker Goulding as Kristoff
- Maggie Oliver as Sven
- Darcey Bauerle as Pabbie
- Meaghan Gould as King Agnarr
- Claire Colturi as Queen Iduna
- Inga Sandercock, Annabelle Turner, and Lily Vincent in the ensemble
Emily McMillan - Swimming
Congratulations to Emily who recently competed at the 2025 Victorian Short Course State Championships. Across three days of competition at MSAC, she experienced both highs and challenges, achieving new personal bests and delivering consistent top-30 finishes. Racing in fields of 50-70 swimmers, Emily held her own and showcased her determination throughout. As the final meet of the winter season, the championships were a great way to wrap up her campaign and celebrate some strong results.
Ava Irwin - Equestrian
We’re incredibly proud of Ava Irwin, who represented Team Victoria at the 2025 Ranvet Pony Club Australia National Championships — the pinnacle event for Pony Club riders across the nation.
Held at the Werribee National Equestrian Centre, the championships brought together riders from every state to test their skills and celebrate the spirit of Pony Club.
Ava competed over three exciting days, contributing to Team Victoria’s Reserve National Champion title and achieving an outstanding 6th place individually in Australia!
What an incredible achievement and a wonderful reflection of Ava’s dedication, talent and sportsmanship. Well done Ava, your St Joseph’s College community is so proud of you!
Olivia Thomson and Isobelle Keilor - Hockey
Congratulations to Olivia Thomson and Isobelle Keilor who played in the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association's Grand Final in the women's league back in September and were crowned Premiers! Great achievement for Year 8 & 9 students competing against adults.
Coach Carter ready to deliver in A-grade
Congratulations to our very own Sports Academy Leader - Mrs Carter - who has been appointed as the A Grade Netball Coach at Moama for 2026.
Jessie Johnstone
Congratulations to Jessie Johnstone who took part in the 2025 Telstra AFL/AFLW State Draft Combine recently.
AFL Diversity 2025 Series
Well done to Jackson Butterworth and Lynkoln Richardson who represented the Pioneers in the AFL Diversity 2025 Boys Series - Flying Boomerangs vs World Team match in Melbourne recently.
Under 18 & Under 16 Boys - Bendigo Pioneers Pre-Season
Congratulations to the following Under 18 and Under 16 Boys and Girls who have been invited into the La Trobe University Bendigo Pioneers 2025/2026 Pre-Season.
Girls
Sage Dennis
Eliza Fraser
Coby Morgan
Beth Morris
Chloe Moyle
Macey Boyd
Jada Dennis
Lily Dunham
Georgie Elso
Ruby Morgan
Isabella Nathan
Mia Siede
Chelsea Swiggs
Julia Taranto
Boys
Jackson Butterworth
Xavier Carmichael
Macklan Dalziel
Will Hatfield
Lynkoln Richardson
Oliver Spring
Harrison Whan
Bendigo Pioneers - Personal Growth Nomination
Congratulations to Eliza Fraser who was nominated for the Personal Growth Award fro the Coates Talent League. Eliza was the only U18 Bendigo Pioneers girl to be nominated for a league award. This is a huge achievement for Eliza who underwent surgery for a serious injury earlier in the year.
Former St Joseph's College student, Lexi Gregor was runner up for this award last year. Could we see Eliza follow in Lexi's footsteps in the AFLW? We hope so!
Walker caps huge season with futures medal
Highly touted Echuca prospect Cody Walker added another accolade to his collection on AFL Grand Final weekend.
Before the Brisbane Lions hoisted a second consecutive AFL premiership, Walker took to the MCG as part of Team Docherty, taking on Team Boak in the Marsh Futures match.
The annual futures game on grand final day highlights the best under-17 prospects from the following year’s draft class.
While team Boak scored the win by 13 points, Walker came away with the best-on-ground medal after posting 25 disposals (14 contested), four marks, seven clearances and six inside 50s.
“Obviously, it’s pretty surreal,” Walker said.
“First time playing at the G, it’s something you won’t forget, and it’s such a good arena to play on.
“I was definitely pretty happy with how I went.
“There’s always things to improve on.
“I played two different positions in midfield and forward, and I think I did pretty well in both of those areas and played my role.”
It’s been a busy year for the star junior, joining Victoria Country as a bottom-ager for the under-18 National Championships and, in July, committing to Carlton under the father-son rule.
Andrew Walker played 202 games for the Blues from 2004 to 2016, and co-coached Echuca’s senior side to three straight Goulburn Valley League senior flags from 2022 to 2024.
The younger Walker was part of Richmond’s Next Generation Academy, and had the option of committing to the Tigers, but opted for Carlton, who he has been working with for several years.
“It (was a tough) choice between Richmond as well because they’ve treated me so well over the past few years,” Walker said.
“Choosing Carlton was not a no-brainer, but it was definitely a bit easier for me to go to a club that I’ve always been at.”
Carlton is working to secure the required picks to match any bid for Walker, who is expected to be highly sought after in the draft.
The AFL was considering introducing restrictions on how the father-son rule functions, potentially going as far as preventing top 10 picks from being matched by father-son or academy clubs, but opted against that more drastic move late last month.
The league is still weighing up other changes to the guidelines, including potential restrictions on clubs that finish in the top-four or eight, or setting a maximum number of picks that can be used to match bids.
These changes could affect Walker’s future, particularly if Carlton improves into the top-eight next year.
A packed year of footy also saw Walker suit up 13 times for the Bendigo Pioneers and make four appearances for Echuca’s senior side in the GVL, including in the blockbuster finals clash with Rochester.
“Being able to play pretty good, consistent footy (at the Pioneers) was definitely an aim this year, and I think going back to Echuca in that final game this year against Rochy (was a highlight),” he said.
“I definitely played not too bad, but to play against senior players and play against a pretty good midfield in Rochy was definitely an eye-opener for me.”
Walker said he appreciated the support the Murray Bombers had given him over the years, particularly in 2025 when he was only able to make sporadic appearances.
Already pegged as one of the leading talents for the 2026 draft, Walker is still looking to make the most of his final year in junior football.
“Trying to play to the highest level that I can and play consistently is definitely an aim for me,” he said.
“(I’ll be) trying to get the most out of my last junior year and have some fun as well and then obviously get ready for possibly AFL footy, which would be a dream come true.”
(Riverine Herald)